


Simple Man

by SpookyMoth



Series: Sing Me A Song [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Love, Post-War, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:15:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMoth/pseuds/SpookyMoth
Summary: Putting back together the pieces after Shikaku's death is not as simple as it sounds.But eventually Shikamaru will find things that are worth to live on and seek for a better future.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru & Nara Yoshino, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Series: Sing Me A Song [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834615
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Simple Man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fenrir85](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenrir85/gifts).



> This is for you, because you showed me this wonderful, heart-breaking cover of [Simple Man](https://youtu.be/3SniMv8EGiY) by Jensen Ackles. 
> 
> Thanks for a lot of things and especially sharing all this awesome music with me.😊  
> And no, there's nothing wrong with listening to the Arctic Monkeys the whole day 😉

The sun didn't shine in the bright colours he was used to.

When he was lying on his favourite cloud watching spot, he looked at them, but it felt wrong.  
  
It was like he was looking forward, going back into his old routine and forgetting what had happened. 

He didn't want to.

Moving on meant he wasn't treasuring his father's memory. He didn't want to forget him. It was too soon for this.

Much too soon.

He sighed and decided to head home. Looking out for his mother, who was at least as devastated as him about the passing of Shikaku. 

_Mama told me when I was young_

_Come sit beside me my only son_

_And listen closely to what I say_

_And if you do this it'll help you_

_Some sunny day oh yeah_

He opened the door of his home, unsure how to proceed, when he heard his mother crying again.

Not a single day had passed after the war, where she didn’t cry and it made him feel so useless. As if it was all his fault that her heart was broken.

But he couldn’t have done a thing to rescue his father. 

Nevertheless in his dreams he saved him. When he was asleep he was able to foresee the plans of their enemy and rejoined with his father after the war.

Shikaku would smile at him, pat his shoulder and they walked home together. 

Sadly this would never happen. The gravestone on Konoha’s cemetery was the unmissable sign that his father was gone for good. 

He had left him behind. Unsure how to proceed. Without a plan about his future or the future of the Nara clan.

Shikamaru never had felt this lost in his whole life. 

_Oh take your time don't live too fast_

_Troubles will come and they will pass_

_Go find a woman yeah and you'll find love_

_And don't forget son there is someone up above_  
  
  
He took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, knowing his mother would prepare dinner.  
  
She was wiping her face when he entered. Hiding her red eyes.  
  
Shikamaru thought it was a useless attempt. 

He did the same.

“You’re early,” his mother greeted him.

“Yeah,” he answered, rubbing his neck, unsure. 

It was still so unusual to be all alone with his mother. Even if he always had complained about her nagging, he missed this.  
  
She wasn’t the same and had changed into something he didn’t like. 

He hated these changes with his whole heart. 

“Did you meet your friends?” Yoshino asked and started to chop the vegetables. “I haven’t seen them around lately.”

Shikamaru thought about lying to her. He hadn’t seen any of his friends. Mostly he didn’t know how to interact with them.  
  
After Asuma’s death he had this anger inside of him. He wanted revenge, to punish the person that had killed his sensei.

This time he couldn’t do this.

The persons responsible for the death of his father, the death of Inoichi and Neji - and all the other unfortunate souls - had got what they deserved. 

He couldn’t stand being near Ino. Even if she also had lost her father this made it even more difficult to talk to her. He knew she would cry the whole time. And there was already his mother who shed so many tears. 

Choji would take care of her. He was better than him regarding those matters. He trusted his friend with this. 

“No.” 

He watched his mother tossing the vegetables into a bowl and taking the meat to put it into a pan. 

“You should, Shikamaru. That’s what friends there are for.”

As they ate later in the evening it was silent and both of them went to bed early. 

_And be a simple kind of man_

_Oh be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh won't you do this for me son if you can_

More weeks passed by and he eventually made the attempt to seek for the company of his friends.

He was on his way to meet Choji and Ino at YakinikuQ. Doing something different than burying himself in work, and even more work, to keep his head busy. 

Yet he wasn’t able to sleep properly at night, haunted by his nightmares, that were so full of blood and death.

At one night he had woken up screaming and his mother rushed into his room, embracing him until he was able to come back to reality. 

He entered the restaurant and looked around for a sign of his teammates.  
  
They sat in the back.

Choji’s broad back to Shikamaru and Ino in front of him actually smiling. Seeing both of them suddenly made him feel better.  
  
Maybe he should start to go back to some of the things he used to do before war had taken away his father.

_Forget your lust for the rich man's gold_

_All that you need is in your soul_

_And you can do this oh babe if you try_

_All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied_

He walked leisurely to the table, his hands in the pockets and stopped in his tracks, when he saw someone else sitting on the table.

He didn’t know she was in Konoha and her presence made him nervous.

“SHIKAMARU!” Ino exclaimed happily when she saw him. 

She jumped off her place and hugged him. 

“Hey,” he said flustered by her outburst. “Good to see you, Ino.”

Chouji also greeted him with a hug and then scooted over to make a spot for him on the bench. 

“Nice seeing you, crybaby,” Temari greeted him with the hint of a smile. 

He noticed his blushing cheeks. 

“When did you arrive?” he asked, while the waitress brought a bottle with juice, meat and rice. 

“Today. I will stay a few days.”

“Good to hear.”

Shikamaru knew that Ino and Choji were watching them closely. Both of them were too nosy if it was about him and Temari. 

“We were talking about the next Shinobi Alliance meeting,” Temari explained to him. 

“It’s about time you will go to Tetsu no Kuni, Shikamaru,” Choji said and put the meat on the stove in the middle of the table. 

“I already have talked with Kakashi about this. Next time I will participate and you can have a break, mate.”

_And be a simple kind of man_

_Oh be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh won't you do this for me son if you can_

The evening was uneventful and when they parted he decided to accompany Temari to her accommodation. 

They walked in silence through the streets of Konoha, the stars shining brightly on the clear night sky. He used to love those strolls through the village with her on his side.

Normally they talked about work and she would tell stories about her brothers. 

It had changed.

When they reached the building he wanted to say goodbye and turn around but she grabbed his sleeve.

“I am sorry I didn’t contact you, Shikamaru,” she apologised. “But I didn’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay, Temari. I wouldn’t have answered either way.”

He gulped, not daring to look into her face for too long. 

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly. “Choji and Ino told me you avoided them. And this is so unlike you.”

Shikamaru was stunned at her words. Temari was never soft or caring around anyone, if you didn’t count Gaara and Kankuro.

“Kind of.” He cocked his head to one side. “It’s been a tough time. It still is.”

Temari nodded. “If you ever want to talk I am here.” 

She let go of his sleeve and turned to enter the accommodation. 

“Don’t you worry or else I will start to think you are nice.”

“I am never nice,” she answered with a smirk. “But sometimes I try.”

He stayed a few minutes after she had left, thinking about her words. 

_Oh yes I will_

_Oh don't you worry you'll find yourself_

_Follow your heart and nothing else_

_And you can do this oh babe if you try_

_All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied_

He travelled with Choji to the next meeting of the Shinobi Alliance. It was good to move on. Felt better than months before. Not normal in the scale he used to measure previously.  
  
This normal would never come back.  
  
He was greeted by the various envoys of the different Hidden Villages.

They worked their way through different topics, discussed and even laughed.

Shikamaru didn’t know when he last had laughed. Feeling the laughter vibrating in his body made him understand that sooner or later he would be better again.

In a future he didn’t know yet. 

_And be a simple kind of man_

_Oh be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh won't you do this for me son if you can_

  
  
It was years later when he really got the meaning behind all the sorrow and grieve he had encountered.  
  
He was laying on his favourite hill again, this time not alone.

Temari had her head on his chest, half asleep like him. His hand lingered in her hair, playing with the strands of it. 

He breathed in her scent, still trying to figure out where his life would lead him, but this time he wasn’t afraid. 

“So you still agree?” he said with a low voice, not wanting to wake her if she already slept.

“How often do you want to ask, Shikamaru? Yes, I am going to marry you, even if this will be a total drag.”

He smiled as she pinched his arm. 

“Just wanted to check.”

“You know that we have to tell them?” 

“How troublesome.”

_And baby be a simple real simple man_

_Oh be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

**Author's Note:**

> The original was written and performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I wanted the softness of the cover for this songfic.


End file.
